When I close the frontdoor, I see Max -my
neighbor's big orange tomcat- sleeping in the frontyard, between the purple
flowers. This is his favorite spot, ever since his best buddy was hit and killed
by a speeding car a few weeks ago. They were right in the middle of their daily
boxing match in front of the building. Poor Max, he made a narrow escape but he
hasn't really been the same... And cats can't even turn to music for
comfort!

We, people, are so lucky! The tenth edition, the
big anniversary of the Take Root Festival takes place today. Not in Assen, they
moved the whole festival to De Oosterpoort, a huge theatre with several rooms,
in Groningen. That is sooo good for me, I just need to take the express bus to
Groningen's big bus & train station, from there it's less than ten minutes
walking. I can't appreciate this enough, that it's made real easy for music
lovers travelling by public transportation! The line-up looks glorious too,
celebrating "Past, present and upcoming American music". I've rarely seen such a
super selection of great roots musicians being put together in one
list...

It's still early, but out in the hall we represent
already three music websites and retired DJ Jan Donkers with partner are
carrying a big carton box. They complain about the weather being ten degrees
colder here than in Amsterdam. What's with that box? I see, Jan writes books
these days and probably expects to sell a lot of copies today. The guestlist
window opens up, even my name is easy to find. (Thanks for putting me on the
list, Johan and thanks for putting in a good word, Bernie!) Everything rolls so
smoothly... Ah, there's a bump in the road: mean security! Last time I was here
at De Oosterpoort, they gave my friend a hard time about a..... gun? No, a
cigarette case!! It's so easy, security people: there's supposed to be a lady to
search ladies purses, tell what exactly you're looking for and neverrr throw
anything out or even threaten to do that: just label it & lock it away. Oh,
and drop the "I'm in power" attitude, please!!

---

Hello, friends!! Good to see everybody again! Even
friends from the Rotterdam area took this long trip and we're discussing
expectantly the time table and what type of music likely to be played by whom.
Lots of space here. It's a non-smoking building, I think the smokers have to go
out on a terrace. The festival market draws visitors immediately, looking for a
good deal on CD's. There's also a little bit of the trademark Mexican touch: the
food, some decorations in the cafetaria, but no funny statues like in
Assen.

Time for music: kicking off in the Foyer, THE .357
STRING BAND from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Isn't this string band named after a gun?
I bet the security doesn't know that... All jokes aside, this is a cool act,
playing uptempo on upright bass (covered with stickers), acoustic guitar,
mandolin and banjo, with a rock&roll attitude. I'm sure comparisons will be
made with The Hackensaw Boys, they introduced unpolished bluegrass to the big
audience, but this is slightly different. These boys call their music "street
grass", bluegrass with street credibility. They have thought about their looks
too, apparently: the hardrocker and the intellectual type and the rockabilly
cat with tattoos, not sure about the fourth player: a farm boy? "Pickin' up the
steam...", yes, that means they can do it even faster! Third song is a Woody
Guthrie cover, the banjo player singing leadvocals. This is fun, I would have
liked to stay longer, as it promises to get much wilder towards the end, but...
I want to be on time in the Small Room.

---

The Spoolies

For... THE SPOOLIES. A group, brought together for
one tour only, I guess. RAMSAY MIDWOOD, never heard of before, sorry! Favorite
TONY GILKYSON. Favorite KIP BOARDMAN. We just kept playing their
(second) records on Alt.Country Cooking! As for MIKE NICOLAI, there's some
connection with The Gourds. I don't believe it, they've put tables (with
colorful tableclothes) and chairs in front of the stage! Jan Donkers is the MC
here, announcing the acts. I promised myself not to say anything bad about Jan
this time. He tells something about Arlington, Virginia. Maybe Ramsay grew up
there? And then he claims: "I thought they had only a graveyard there..." Jan
apparently never looked around very well, while leaving Dulles International
Airport! There are the four, no, five guys. The one with the hat backwards
on must be Ramsay. He looks like somebody I would like to have an interesting
conversation about music with. He starts off on leadvocals, a somewhat
gritty voice, playing his big acoustic guitar in a bluesy alt.country style with
a touch of swamprock. Sounds great. And there's Tony for the second song. Wow...
He's such an incredibly talented guitarplayer! Yes, he's Eliza's brother,
younger brother I think. I saw him for the first time in Berkeley, California
where he played as Amy Rigby's leadguitarist. What a fun show that was! Amy
recommended Tony's first album, but unfortunately I had barely enough money for
my subway ticket... Mike plays bassguitar, his song is country-ish, while the
energetic drummer provides good harmony vocals. And then there's Kip, I
recognize him from the pictures: very skinny, eyeglasses, he wears his hair very
long and he plays keyboards. "Waterfall", that's from his first album (that I
don't have either, shit!). I just love his gorgeous rather high voice. And so it
goes on & on: the four gentlemen take turns on leadvocals and showcase four
different approaches to alt.country. They don't talk inbetween songs, only Tony
makes a few remarks. He tells that this is the fourth Spoolies show. I swear,
they sound like they played already four years together! The song Tony's father
wrote in 1948, "Man About Town" is performed. The nameless versatile drummer
(later I will learn his name is Brien Lilja) whistles on the intro into a slow
jazzy song, Kip singing great harmonies, Tony playing a wonderful long solo on
electric guitar. Funny, when he sings, he bends his knees a little, standing
behind the microphone, just like Hank Williams Sr. did, remember those
old pictures? Kip's songs are all beautiful: poppy "Losing Streak" and
breathtakingly pretty piano ballad "Upon The Stars". Ramsay's countryblues just
urge me to buy his records... The timing of the set is a bit off, they end the
show with Mike -who also ventured into bluesrock earlier- singing some sort of
protest song against the pope, not such a good choice. So let's pretend they end
with Tony's rhythmic rocker "Tear It Down" (that came along two songs ago).
Dutch musician Jan the Lazyman appears on stage as a guest musician and plays
the washboard, very cool! The Spoolies: definitely a Take Root highlight!!

---

The BrandosPhoto by Edgar Heckmann (Bluerose Records)

There's a little time window to check out THE
BRANDOS in the Big Room. Although it's the only act playing at the moment, I
don't have trouble entering the room. The volume is slightly deafening
down here, but that's what they invented earplugs for. Professionally tight
playing rootsrockers, wearing impeccable suits, they sing effortlessly very nice
three part harmonies. Just too bad Frank Giordano isn't in the band anymore,
I've seen him in a solo setting a couple of years back, he actually married a
girl from my current hometown! But this "new" guy Ziga Stanonik is a killer
guitarplayer too. They totally surprise us by playing an Irish dance tune, Dave
Kincaid on an acoustic instrument that looks like a mandolin with a big belly.
"Merrily Kissed The Quaker / The New York Volunteer", that's from their latest
album. Then they play "the single" and then I have to leave again,
unfortunately.

---

Willard Grand Conspiracy

As I do want to see the WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY in
the Small Room. Robert Fisher, the one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter and his ever
changing collective of musicians. I attended their shows at a church in San
Francisco, in a Belgian theatre, in a club on the Rotterdam waterfront and a few
more places. I always end up being totally fascinated! Jan Donkers messes up his
announcement completely, confusing everybody about the group's name. And it's so
simple, I heard Robert explain it in a radio interview: Willard Grant was the
name of the street, where he once lived and where the band rehearsed in the
early beginnings. Robert doesn't have a beard anymore, he picked up a
guitarplayer and a ladysinger when he began his tour in Scotland and Dutch
musician Erik van Loo plays the upright bass. First song is "Ghost Of The Girl
In The Well". That pretty much sets the mood. Robert is in a very good mood
himself actually, I know he only gets upset for two reasons: not enough people
in the room and technical trouble. His impressive Johnny Cash-like deep voice is
better than ever and his little stories are wry and funny at the same time. Old
favorites pass by, the snake handling minister who painted messages on top of
the barns "Welcome to Earth". The gym teacher from Seattle. He makes a statement
about "scary lullabies", before singing "Day is Passed And Gone". And he jokes
about the photographers, with "lenses this big and there were more!" He had
played in a club that was a former strip joint and there was a huge
pole, covered in mirrors, right in front of him. He had asked to have it
covered! "Fare Thee Well". The field holler "Another Man Is Gone". His
companions sing one of their own Celtic songs and the lady singer covers Big
Brother and The Holding Company. Of course there are songs played from the new
album. Robert tells a very funny story about "Flying Low". He was on-line at the
same time as Steve Wynn, so they started writing a song, four lines each, back
and forth. After four or five minutes (according to Robert) there it was: a
complete song. When Robert played it live for the first time, Steve was in the
audience and had this blank look on his face, that scared Robert. But afterwards
he complimented Robert on the song, that it was a good one he wrote. Robert
replied: "It better be, you wrote half of it!" Turned out, that Steve didn't
remember that!! But it definitely bears his signature, "I dreamed I saw angels
flying low...", a highlight in the set. "Dance With Me", beautifully building up
after a long intro and towards the end of the concert epic "Let It Roll". Today
Robert himself plays the acoustic guitar and some harmonica, his guitarplayer
changes constantly between electric guitar, mandolin and acoustic, also playing
with the slide. Erik sometimes uses a bow on his bass. This is such an excellent
show! The audience raises for a standing ovation and Robert walks away between
all of us, thanking his fans and shaking hands.

Appearing in the Big Room: CHUCK PROPHET & THE
MISSION EXPRESS. Another big favorite of mine, Chuck. I've seen him also from
San Francisco to Rotterdam and various other places. Real special was his
contribution to the Neil Fest at the Justice League in 1999! The sound is
probably better upstairs, while I'm climbing the MC here -Jeroen Wielaert-
manages to annoy everybody by claiming that we, lovers of rootsmusic, are all
divorced at least once and aren't doing the work anymore that we studied for.
Excuse me?? He should have announced the musicians a little better instead, now
the names of the current Mission Express members get lost completely. And in all
the confusion Chuck doesn't even do one of his own fun announcements. I never
forget that one time in Tilburg, when he called out all the downtown San
Francisco stations of the BART (subway)! "Let's do something wrong, let's do
something stupid", all-right!! He still plays his white Fender guitar, his
"lucky" guitar and he has his two microphones -one for the effects- and his
whole battery of effect pedals on the floor, although I can't see that from this
distance. Drummer, bassist and an extra guitarist. No pedal steel player, no
multi-instrumentalist, no Tom Heyman, no Max Butler. That means only one thing:
Chuck has a rockshow on his mind! And of course there's Chuck's lady, Stephanie
Finch, playing keyboards and singing. She deserves her place in the
spotlights! Yep, that's Chuck the funky rocker: doing all the rock&roll
poses, the dramatic faces, climbing the drum platform, turning around in a
circle, kicking yet another effect pedal. We just love him for it! "Baby Just To
See You Smile", he ends up on his knees and dedicates the next one "to all the
ladies in the audience", just like Nick Lowe would say that. "I Bow Down And
Pray To Every Woman I See". He thanks us for sticking with him: "There are
seventeen venues in this compound where you can hear music now and you choose to
spend an hour with us..." And he recalls that one of the musicians in Nashville,
where he recorded, told him this particular rocksong sounded like the Golden
Earring. Chuck announces that he started writing "Would You Love Me", when he
watched Mel Gibson in "the porn movie Passion Of The Christ" ("They're dragging
Jesus down the street, it doesn't look good to me") and finished it when he
heard about Anna Nicole Smith's untimely death. Wow, it's definitely a
fascinating song... Stephanie plays her accordion, slowly approaching Chuck
who's playing his intricate solos in the meantime. Looks like she's tempting
him... I admire them, still love birds after all these -often difficult- years
in the music bizz. Another unforgettable picture from that show in Tilburg:
Chuck and Stephanie singing into one microphone. Now the show is a bit
more routine, but yet bubbling with energy. "Summertime Thing", screeching
guitars in the finale. "You Did (Bomp Shooby Dooby Bomp)". I should go and see
Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez, but I can't pull myself away
here...

Anyway, I hope I never again have to make the
choice between PF Sloan and Chip Taylor! I decide to go and see PF SLOAN in the
Inner Room. It might be the only chance I get to ever see him live. Besides
that, I'm a big fan of Duane Jarvis, the ultimate "musician's musician" and he
is PF's (Phil for his friends) sideman on this tour. When I enter the room,
there's a man sitting on stage, playing some blues standards on an acoustic
guitar. Is that PF Sloan? I thought he would look older... When I get closer, I
recognize him from the pictures. O.K., he dyed his hair auburn, but he looks
good for his age! This is apparently still the soundcheck, Duane joins him on
the stage with his black electric guitar and the audience is already very quiet.
More people are coming in, when the concert officially starts. PF has an
impressive voice and he plays his just as impressive songs as folkblues,
different from his more dressed up album "Sailover", but this works even better.
He promotes the album though, playing some songs off it and promising he will
sign autographs after the show. "Sins Of A Family", he tells that this song was
banned in 1965 until Radio Caroline -a pirate station on a ship off the English
coast- picked it up and it became a big hit. Yes, I do remember those "pirates"
from my early teenage years, that was such an exciting time! "Violence", then a
song with a beautiful melody that's not on the CD, Duane plays with the slide,
he's so damned talented! "How are you all doing?", PF Sloan asks and the reply
from the audience is: "Sloan for President!!" He nods: "I'll take that job!"
Yes, "Eve Of Destruction", the big hitsong he wrote for Barry McGuire. All the
old hippies among us sing along. Duane can do one of his own songs too, "Coulda
Woulda Shoulda". Catchy. He asks us to put our hands together for Yvonne and
Paul, who booked the tour. The result is a very meagre applause. The complete
story goes like this: Yvonne had won a backstage pass in a contest, for the
Liberation Festival in Haarlem, a few years back. Duane Jarvis was the sideman
of Ellis Hooks there, so I suggested Yvonne should go and check them out. There
she was, waving Duane's second CD in front of the stage... And that's how their
contact started! The set goes on, "From A Distance", "Hollywood Moon", "Love Is
4Giving". Some songs are bluesy, some are more rocking, with great guitarwork by
Duane. While PF Sloan makes the protest songs sound just as urgent as they were
in the sixties! One song as an encore to end this special show... Even Robert
Fisher is waiting in line to say "hello" to Duane Jarvis. Or is he waiting until
PF Sloan himself comes out again?

---

Jeffrey FoucaultPhoto by Edgar Heckmann (Bluerose Records)

I won't know, I'm going on my way to see Son Volt.
First I stop by in the Foyer to see JEFFREY FOUCAULT and his band. Their last
song is a nice little bluesrocker, definitely good enough to keep Jeffrey's name
in mind. I want to hear a full live show by him, someday.

Son VoltPhoto by Edgar Heckmann (Bluerose Records)

SON VOLT, in the big
room with the too big sound, have to do their thing without a drummer! Jay
Farrar explains that the poor guy had a bicycle accident and broke his
collarbone. This is their only show on the continent and they definitely try to
do the best they can! They play very well, Jay on acoustic and electric guitars,
his bassplayer who is good enough to keep the band afloat when it comes to the
rhythm, the keyboardplayer also contributes to keeping everything in balance and
then there's the leadguitarplayer. I can imagine, that this approach sounds
strange to fans who know how every note is supposed to sound -from the albums-
but I don't know that, so it's really not bothering me! I like to consider
myself a Farrar-fan though, I actually saw him here for the first time in the
same building, during the Rhythm & Blues Night some years back, where he
played with one sideman. Now I just want to enjoy his gorgeous voice, the
captivating atmospheric soundscapes -I even spot Native American influences- and
also the sturdy rockers. I try to see -from this distance upstairs- what the
keys man is actually doing, he has a lapsteel on his other side, I love
lapsteel... Jay changes guitars a couple of times, keeping the guitartech who
brings them on stage, busy. Once the microphone stand even topples over: "We're
getting really excited now!", Jay claims. The red guitar is for the rocksongs
and when Chuck Prophet's drummer appears on stage for the last song, the
(feedback) fireworks are about to start!

---

Anything disappointing tonight, ever optimistic
Johanna? Yes, RENCH was disappointing. The CD "Life In Mean Season"
(countrymusic with hiphop beats) is far more fun than what we hear in the Foyer.
Rench is a just o.k. singer, his band an average country cover band,
that happens to have a DJ on stage. Their original song "Come Back To Brooklyn"
is cool, but who is waiting for the umptiest version of "Tonight The Bottle Let
Me Down"? Or worse, Hank Williams Jr. covers, like "Family Tradition"? I'm
getting the impression that nobody -except some very drunk people- is
enjoying this... Really too bad, as the festival paid extra money for the band's
planetickets, to get them here for an exclusive show. At least Rench himself
seems to have fun, he takes pictures of the audience, for his mother. In the
meantime Chip Taylor walks by, is being tackled -almost- by a fan and has to
sign an autograph. As the fan doesn't have any paper on him, he grabs a small
flyer from the floor (!) and offers that to Chip. And the nicest person on the
planet doesn't even blink... By the way, if you know Chip and you want
to impress young people, just mention you know the uncle of Angelina Jolie in
person! Admiring gazes guaranteed. A friend reports that the room where Tim
O'Reagan & Jim Boquist play is really full. I believe him immediately, he
helped me entering the small room at the Blue Highways Festival a couple of
times, if he can't get inside, nobody can!

Tim O'Reagan & Jim Boquist

---

So we wait for closing act SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY &
THE ASHBURY JUKES in the Big Room. I want to see Southside Johnny (also known as
Johnny Lyon, a good old friend of Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven) for a
very long time already. At first I didn't really admit to myself why, but my
late partner was a very big fan of Southside Johnny (the worn-out LP "Hearts Of
Stone" is still cherished here), so I guess that's why I'm subconsciously so
curious! I once heard a fan say: "Where Springsteen went commercial and cheated
on his first wife, Southside Johnny always stayed for real." Wow, that's an
extended line-up, filling the stage... And that's the way to handle annoying
MC's!! Johnny points both index fingers at him and just yells back. He yells
louder, so Jeroen is gone in two seconds."Take It Inside"! Southside Johnny
can't do anything wrong anymore! The show is awesome too, a real party with the
band enthusiastically bouncing all over the stage. There are four musicians
playing the saxophones, trombone and trumpets, swinging, doing balancing acts,
jumping, just incredible. The others: drums, bass, keys and leadguitar are also
verrry good. And Johnny, what an energy and what a charisma! He sings and plays
harmonica and struts around on stage, firing up his band. The music is a mix of
soul, rock and blues. He knows his styles too, from Chicago to New Orleans. The
songs are dating back to his early albums, "This Time Baby's Gone For Good",
"Talk To Me", "The Fever" and "All Night Long". A real long version of "I Don't
Want To Go Home" and then "It's All Over Now" as the encore, while the audience
is dancing and applauding with the hands in the air. I can live another year
after an energy boost like this!!

---

The security still hangs around the entrance.
Weird, that they take cameras from people while every fifth music lover today
was shooting complete videos with those smart little cellphones! That's nice: we
get a present from a PR-lady when we leave: a DVD of Take Root 2004. A good
excuse to finally buy a player! It's foggy outside, but it gives me a good
feeling that -for once- I don't have to worry about getting home. The last
express bus even brings me and another lady back to the busstation, a couple of
stops further than he is supposed to go on his late-night run. And Max is still
outside... My neighbor, a nurse, is probably still working. He tries to persuade
me to let him inside, by pityful meowing, but I remember just in time what an
expert he is at breaking into refrigerators, eating everything, except the
plastic wrappers. Sorry, Max! I always said that I wanted to come back in my
next life as a cat, but I'm reconsidering lately. Cats don't attend music
festivals!